Friction grip earring clamp



Dec. 16, 1969 P. E. KETTELL 3,483,715

FRICTION GRIP EARRING CLAMP Filed Sept. 5, 1968 INVENTOR. PHILIP E. KETTELL fly i ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,483,715 FRICTION GRIP EARRING CLAMP Philip E. Kettell, North Kingston, R.I., assignor to E. A.

Adams & Son Inc., Pawtucket, R.I., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Sept. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 757,601 Int. Cl. A44c 7/00 US. Cl. 63-14 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This is a friction type earring clamp in which the ear lobe is positioned between a base and a movable clamping part pivotally mounted on the base. The base is designed to carry the ornament at the outside of the ear lobe and the clamping pivoted part is behind the ear lobe unseen. In accordance with the present invention the base is provided with a flat plate which is engaged on both sides by the clamping pressure of a pair of clamping members. The clamping part is mounted in such manner that the frictional engagement of the parts increases with the clamping movement of the pivoted part. The parts can readily be stamped from sheet stock and assembly is simple, a single operation snapping the parts together.

My present invention relates to the jewelry art and more particularly to a novel construction of an earring clamp.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an earring clamp which derives its holding power by the frictional engagement of a base and a pivoted member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a friction type earring clamp which permits the clamping member to be held in any of a desired angular positions against the ear lobe.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an earring clamp in which the frictional clamping grip increases as the clamping member is moved into clamping position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an earring clamp of the friction type which is adaptable to any type of ornamentation.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an earring clamp embodying my present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 3 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the clamping member.

Certain types of earring clamps are formed by providing a base and a clamping member pivoted thereon. The clamping member is provided with a spring pivot action so that the clamping member is pushed against the back of the base member to clamp the ear lobe between them. The spring pressure thus provided can be extremely uncomfortable to the wearers ear and there is no way in which the wearer can modify the pressure. The present invention is designed to provide an earring clamp in which the holding action is provided by the frictional engagement of portions of the base and clamping member. This sliding frictional engagement permits the clamping member to be pushed into an infinite number of positions and therefore adjusted comfortable to the wearers ear. The gripping action is provided by a flat plate on the base and resilient means on the clamping 3,483,715 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 member for frictionally engaging the opposed flat sur faces of the plate. Furthermore, the parts are so positioned that the frictional engagement increases in area and in tightness as the clamping member is pivoted into clamping position.

Referring more in detail to the drawings illustrating my invention, the clamp of the present invention comprises a base 10 of a general U-shape having a front portion 11 to which an ornament can be attached. The front portion 11 is illustrated as an enlarged annular flat plate integrally mounted at the top of the U-shaped arm 12. However, in accordance with the constructions well known in the art, the portion 11 may be made in any desired form for receiving any type of ornament including the pendant type. The rear portion of the base 10 terminates in an enlarged flat plate 13 integral with the base 10 and extending in a plane at right angles to the plane of the portion 11. The plate 13 has a U-shaped perimeter and is preferably of a solid piece stamped integrally with the base 10.

The clamping member 14 comprises a short central generally vertical post portion 15 having an integral wide loop 16 extending integrally therefrom as seen in FIG. 4. The loop 16 is bent at an angle from the top of the post 15 as can be more clearly seen in FIG. 2 to form a flattened intermediate portion 17 and an upturned end 18 which actually contacts and clamps the back of the ear lobe against the back of the portion 11 which holds the ornament as seen in FIG. 1.

The post portion 15 is provided with side members 19 extending at right angles from opposed side edges thereof in spaced relation. The side members 19 are each provided with a vertical slot 20 leaving an outer portion 21 connected to the side member at the bottom end only. The outer portions 21 of the side members 19 are angled inwardly toward each other from the bottom to the top as seen in FIG. 4 to provide a resilient channel therebetween.

The pivotal connection of the parts may be made with a standard pivot pin. However, it is preferable that the pivot pin be eliminated thus eliminating a part and an assembly operation. In accordance with the present invention, the lower portion of the plate 13 is provided at each side with small recesses and the clamping portion 14 is provided at the bottom of the members 19 with detents 22 which snap into the recesses and form the pivotal connection between the parts. This pivotal connection is eccentrically located with respect to the periphery of the plate 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It is preferred that the earring clamp be made of hardened carbon steel to reduce wear, ensure long life, and ensure the long life of the resilient clamping fric tion action. In fact, experience has shown that unless a high carbon steel, properly hardened, is used, the device rapidly loses its effectiveness. In assembly the side members 19 are slipped over the plate 13 so that the plate 13 forces the side members 19 apart and the detents 22 snap into the recess opening in the plate 13. With the parts thus assembled. see FIGS. 1 and 2, it is obvious that the outer portions 21 of the side members 19 will resiliently grip and embrace the fiat plate 13 of the base 10. This will provide a friction gripping action which will hold the clamping member in pivoted position. To clamp the member against the ear lobe, it is merely necessary to insert the ear lobe between the ornamental portion 11 and the front of the clamping member at 18 as seen in FIG. 1, and then move the clamping member about its pivot to grip the ear lobe with the desired pressure. As this movement takes place, the resilient outer portions 21 gripping the plate 13 form a friction drag which tends to hold the clamping member 14 in any desired clamping position. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pivot points of the detents 22 are positioned eccentrically to the periphery of the plate 13. This provides an eccentric pivot action which permits the outer portions 21 to gradually move off the surface of the plate 13 when the clamping member is pivoted to the left to open the device, along the broken line forming the arc 21a in FIG. 2. Thus, the friction drag is gradually reduced during the opening action. Conversely, when the clamping member is swung into clamping position toward the right, the outer portions 21 will gradually increase their surface contact with the plate 13 until the clamping position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is reached. At this point the entire surface of the outer portions 21 are in frictional contact with the plate 13. This increase in frictional grip is enhanced by the angular position of the outer portions 21 as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, as the clamp is pushed into holding position the friction grip increases, and reaches its most effective holding or fastening action against the ear lobe.

The base can be altered to provide for any type of ornament. The ornaments can be riveted, soldered or pasted on. Therefore, the base can be provided with or without loops, with different sized ornament pads, and can be dapped to receive round ornaments. It should also be noted that the parts can be reversed with the plate on the clamping member and the clamping ears on the base. However, when an ornament is soldered to the base, the heat would cause the carbon steel to lose some of its resiliency. Therefore, the construction illustrated is preferred.

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An earring clamp comprising a base and a hardened carbon steel clamping member pivotally mounted thereon, said base comprising a generally U-shaped arm having an integral ornament receiving portion at one end, an integral flat plate at the other end, said plate having a generally inverted U-shaped periphery, said clamping member being pivotally mounted on said fiat plate, said pivotal mounting being eccentrically located with respect to said periphery, said clamping member having a post, a pair of spaced side members extending integrally from said post, resilient means on said side members to frictionally engage opposed flat surfaces of said plate, said means including outer portions of said side members connected to the remaining portions of said side members at the bottom ends, said outer portions resiliently engaging said surfaces of said plate and being positioned so that said frictional engagement increases in area and in tightness as said clamping member is pivoted into clamping position, the free end of said clamping member being adapted to clamp an ear lobe between said clamping member and said ornament receiving portion.

2. An earring clamp as in claim 1, wherein said outer portions of said side members are angularly disposed toward each other to exert a resilient friction grip on said fiat plate therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 870,330 1/1907 Wilde. 1,326,333 12/1919 Frank. 2,618,831 11/1952 Gloss 24-248 3,237,266 3/1966 Van Bergen.

FOREIGN PATENTS 215,949 5/1924 Great Britain. 976,341 11/ 1964 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

